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classic rock tabs for 3 stringer

complete novice here just starting out, ive a question for all of ye!

ive read that people convert alot of regular guitar tabs to a 3 string cbg by dropping and substituting some chords! i know where to get chords for songs online for a regular 6 string guitar but how do i convert tabs to suit my 3 stringer?

ive zero music theory so can you explain as best you can, like explaining to a 2year old!lol

appreciate any feedback thanks!

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Permalink Reply by Richey Kay on March 31, 2014 at 5:29pm

Here's a reasonably complex melody in GDG tuning:

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Permalink Reply by Patrick Curley on March 31, 2014 at 6:09pm

Very cool Richey, what's the piece?

Demos like this are the best way to demonstrate how things work.

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Permalink Reply by Richey Kay on March 31, 2014 at 6:20pm

It's Sylvia by Focus (70's Dutch prog band). Thanks Patrick!

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Permalink Reply by Scruggy on April 1, 2014 at 2:49am

brilliant!

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Permalink Reply by Marc Brode on April 1, 2014 at 1:06am

If you are looking for chords to songs, go to www.chordify.com I just wish we had this when I was younger... It was so hard to play a 45 rpm and back it up over and over, in order to determine the chords. Now a computer can do it for you!

BTW... This site does a good job on the simpler tunes, but not so good on the more complex pieces. So, it's good for rock and blues, not so good for jazz. In other words, it's good for the type of stuff we can play on our CBGs.

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Permalink Reply by Scruggy on April 1, 2014 at 1:37pm

can chordify do chords for 3 string?

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Permalink Reply by Scruggy on April 3, 2014 at 6:45am

Hi I tried that chordify I really like its ease of use but only thing is every song I uploads from youtube it only showed about 10% of the chords the rest was blank! I tried with a few Incase from what you said some are a little complicated! I even tried the songs on there library and the same happened?

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Permalink Reply by Marc Brode on April 1, 2014 at 2:01am

Okay... Let's say you have the chords to a song... What do you do with them? It depends...
Let's say your CBG is tuned to GBG, and the song you wish to play is in the key of G. This is the best case scenario... The song will be easy to play on your guitar.
But, what if the song is in E? (Many rock and blues songs are in E). You can do one of two things... Transpose the chords from E to G by stepping up each chord by three semitones. So an E chord becomes your G chord. (Three steps - F, F#, G). This will make the song easy to play, because your tuning is in the key of G. However, you won't be able to play along with the record, as you are in G and it's in E.
To play along with the record, you have to play in E in this case. That means you'll have to play "up the neck"... ( an E will be barred at the 9th fret, for example). This does not lend itself to 'easy' playing though.

A third possibility is to have three or more CBGs, each tuned differently, and tuned to the keys that are used in most 6-string guitar songs. So, you'll need an open E (to play the song in my example), an open A, and of course open G. Another one in open D will help too. That will get you though most songs. But not all.

In short, there is no single solution. But you do have three options. :-)

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Permalink Reply by TN Twang on April 1, 2014 at 2:13am

Marc,

You're so right about having multiple CBGs tuned differently. I've got 4 sitting here now and I desperately need more. My wife is planning a wall rack so I can keep 'em lined up.

I believe Shane Speal commented somewhere on his need for a rack of CBGs on stage to permit quick tuning changes.

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Permalink Reply by Scruggy on April 1, 2014 at 2:57am

thanks this stuffs really helpful! so in key of E you go up three semitones for each and every chord of the song can you then just use the charts for GDG tuning and find each chord that is 3 semitone up? like the chart on cigarbox101 for essential chords?

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Permalink Reply by Marc Brode on April 1, 2014 at 9:34am

Scruffy... You've got it!
Remember, this won't allow you to pay along with the song... You will be out of tune to the recording. However, it will allow you to play the song more easily, as you've transposed a difficult key (for the CBG), to an easier key... The key of G.

Still, the ideal solution would be to have four CBGs, tuned to open G (GDG), open D (DAD), open E (EBE), and lastly, open A (AEA). If anyone asks, it's because you NEED that many guitars!